| GEORGE LARKIN, a farmer of the town of Madison, was born on February 8, 1844, in the neighborhood where he now resides. His parents, Jonathan and Cynthia (Newcomb) Larkin, were both natives of the state of New York, but came to Wisconsin soon after their marriage, settling in Dane county in 1843.Jonathan Larkin bought two hundred and one acres of wild land, erected a log cabin, and began the life of a pioneer. The cabin was soon replaced by a better one, which in turn gave way to a stone house of more pretentious character. He helped to lay out and construct the first roads in the county, driving an ox team to haul the material for bridges, etc. At that time bear, deer and other game was abundant, and Indians were frequent visitors to the settlements. He also operated the first dairy about the capital city and ran the first milk wagon in Madison. He is still remembered by some of the old settlers as a man of high moral character and great influence in the community.
The children of Jonathan and Cynthia Larkin were Helen, Louise, Lucina, Edwin N., George, Catherine and Frank J. Helen is the widow of Samuel Chase; Louise, Catherine and Frank live together in the town of Madison; Lucina is the wife of J. H. Terry, also of the town of Madison; Edwin N. is a farmer in the town of Verona, and George is the subject of this sketch. In his youth Mr. Larkin had meager opportunities to attend school, but by reading he has managed to keep about as well informed as most men of his day and generation. Always a great lover of horses he spent considerable time in his early life in breaking them to the saddle and to harness. He also broke a good many oxen. He continued to live at home until he was about twenty-eight years old, when he married Miss Addie Sweet, a daughter of William Sweet, who came from New York at an early date and settled in Dane county, were he followed the life of a farmer the rest of his life. George and Addie Larkin have an adopted son, Danford W., now a farmer in the town of Fitchburg. He married Emma Johnson and they have one son, George, J. In the fall of 1871 Mr. Larkin bought the farm of one hundred acres where he now lives. Since that time he has made all the improvements on the place and carries on a general farming business. He devotes considerable attention to breeding fine horses and Shetland ponies, especially the latter, of which ha has sold a large number. Politically, he is a Republican, but has never been an aspirant for public office, preferring the less pretentious but more congenial life of a farmer. He and his family are widely known and highly esteemed. 1906 History of Dane County, Wisconsin, p. 544-45. |
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